1. Purpose of the Invention
To provide certain new and useful improvements in competitive game devices, and, more particularly, to provide a competitive game device in which one or more players rolls one or more playing balls down a rippled playing surface having transversely extending recesses separated by transversely extending ridge sections and attempts to land the ball or balls in a high scoring recess.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
There have been many competitive games of chance or skill or both known in the prior art and which involve the rolling of a ball or shifting of a playing object such as a puck or disc to obtain a score. There are also prior art games in which an object such as a ball is moved over an irregular playing surface, although not a rippled playing surface of the type described herein.
In the game known as "shuffleboard", a disc is used in place of a playing ball. In this case one or more players attempts to propel the disc across a flat playing surface into one or more scoring areas. The scoring areas are sized and provided with a shape so that it is difficult to land the disc in higher scoring areas.
Another prior art game in which a ball is rolled on a playing surface to achieve a score is known as "Zig-Zag-Zoom." This game utilizes a frame having a longitudinally extending playing surface and which is concave in the transverse dimension. In this way, the playing surface has a lower longitudinally extending edge portions. Located within the lower center portion are a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures. In this game, one or more players attempts to roll a playing ball in a somewhat serpentine path around each of the apertures in the lower center portion from one end to the other in an attempt to reach the other end or move the ball as far as possible before landing the ball in any of the apertures. The distance the ball moves will determine the score of a player.
There is yet another prior art game which involves the use of a rolling ball in order to achieve a score and which is known as "Cris-Cross". In this game, the players take turns attempting to roll one or more balls down a serpentine playing chute. The game is also provided with a longitudinally extending intercepting track which intersects the serpentine chute at various points. When one player rolls a ball down the chute, the opponent will roll a ball down the intercepting track and attempt to contact and knock the player's ball out of the chute at one of the intersections of the chute and the track. The scoring may be determined by how far the balls proceed along the chute, if they are knocked off, and where they come to rest if knocked off.